Tuesdays With Dorie 51: Flaky Apple Turnovers

Just reading that this week's recipe was going to be Flaky Apple Turnovers was enough to get me incredibly excited. Apple turnovers certainly aren't mainstream in Australia, but I just knew I would love them. To me they sounded like mini apple pies (and I love me some apple pie). In fact, I could happily eat apple pie everyday for the rest of my life.

I actually hadn't noticed this recipe before, so thanks to Julie of Someone's in the Kitchen for picking it this week! Like I said before, I just knew I would love this recipe so I made the whole batch (usually I half it at least) as I was planning on freezing them for a quick treat. Well, boy did these live up to my expectations- they are so flaky and so delicious it isn't funny. Truly, it is no laughing matter! Bake these as soon as humanly possible. The only problem is that the rest of the dough is in my fridge right now, waiting to be rolled out. How I loath rolling out this particular dough! It's a nightmare and I am avoiding it at all costs. These little turnovers are too good though, so I will no doubt endure the stickiness of the dough and give my biceps the workout of their life for these little pieces of heaven.

Tuesdays With Dorie 50: Chocolate Souffle

Although most people would agree that souffle is one of the hardest desserts to perfect, I honestly don't find them that daunting. Actually... if you look back at one of my first posts it would appear I am having a momentary mind lapse. Well I have come a long way since I first started my little blog and it is safe to say that I wouldn't burst into tears if I were faced with the challenge of whipping up a souffle on the spot. I personally am not a souffle girl- yes, I am fascinated by them, but I hardly ever order one in a restaurant (S on the other hand is obsessed with them).

This recipe was chosen by Susan of She's Becoming DoughMessTic, and I have to say that I was very disappointed in it. I knew from reading the recipe that it wouldn't suit my tastes, but I really prefer to stick to the exact recipe where possible for TwD. The souffle was much too airy and puffy for my liking. I know some people love how a souffle will just disappear when in the mouth but I much prefer something of more substance. My preference is a souffle made a creme patisserie base... yum!

Daring Bakers 9: Dobos Torta

Well I am sure a lot of you are asking the same thing I did when I saw this month's challenge, "what the heck is a Dobos Torta"? Whatever it was, I thought it sounded pretty exciting. Basically it consists of layers of sponge cake and chocolate buttercream, topped with thin wedges of caramel coated sponge cake.

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonful of Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular Dobos Torte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

The sponge and buttercream were pretty simple, but I had never made that style of chocolate buttercream before. To be honest, the thought of whole eggs kind of freaked me out, but it turned out to be delicious. I will definitely make it again. As for the sponge... well I just am not a big lover of sponge cake. I just feel like I'm missing out on something when I eat it! Mind you, I can't really comment on the overall taste of the cake because I never tried it. I did have a lot of trouble with the caramel wedges- I don't think I cooked the caramel long enough and it didn't set very well.

Dobos Torta

Sponge cake layers

• 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups (162g) confectioner's (icing) sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour (cornstarch) sifted together)
• pinch of salt

Directions for the sponge layers:

NB. The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.

1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).

2.Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9" (23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn't touch the cake batter.)

3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don't have a mixer.)

4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.

5.Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8" springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)

Chocolate Buttercream

• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) caster (ultrafine or superfine white) sugar
• 4oz (110g) bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons (250g) unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:

NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.

1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.

2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.

3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.

4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.

5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Lorraine's note: If you're in Winter just now your butter might not soften enough at room temperature, which leads to lumps forming in the buttercream. Male sure the butter is of a very soft texture I.e. running a knife through it will provide little resistance, before you try to beat it into the chocolate mixture. Also, if you beat the butter in while the chocolate mixture is hot you'll end up with more of a ganache than a buttercream!

Caramel topping

• 1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
• 12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
• 8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)

Directions for the caramel topping:

1.Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.

2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.

3.The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn't just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.

Angela's note: I recommend cutting, rather than scoring, the cake layer into wedges before covering in caramel (reform them into a round). If you have an 8” silicon round form, then I highly recommend placing the wedges in that for easy removal later and it also ensures that the caramel stays on the cake layer. Once set, use a very sharp knife to separate the wedges.

Finishing touches

• a 7” cardboard round
• 12 whole hazelnuts, peeled and toasted
• ½ cup (50g) peeled and finely chopped hazelnuts

Assembling the Dobos

1.Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.

2.Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.

3.Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.

4.Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.

Tuesdays With Dorie 49: Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie

As the name implies, this is one creamy, delicious pie. Now there is nothing I love more than creamy desserts, however this would also be a great dessert for those of you who find creamy desserts too rich, because it is ladened with lime and ginger. I can just imagine bringing out this beautiful pie at the end of a nice BBQ on a hot Summer day- how well the lime cream would hold up in the humid Australian weather I am not too sure.

This pie is pretty much exactly the same as the Lemon Meringue Pie I have made a few times in the past (also from Dorie's book). Instead of either of the two pie crusts Dorie recommended, I went for the Sweet Tart Dough just because I love it so much. Honestly, call me boring, but I do prefer the lemon version. I did find the ginger a little confronting and I was glad that I held back from the recommended amount. Thanks to Linda of Tender Crumb for choosing this week's recipe- check out her blog for this delicious recipe!

Tuesdays With Dorie 48: Applesauce Spice Bars

This week's recipe was chosen by Karen of Something Sweet by Karen. I decided to make mine into little cakes instead of bars because I was really excited to try out my new mini springform tins. In hindsight, I think these would have photographed much better as bars.

Putting looks beside, these cakes were really delicious. They were very moist and were the perfect sweetness. Apple and cinnamon are always a winning combination for me which is why I loved the cake sans glaze. The glaze is really yummy but there is something about an unadorned moist, spicy cake that I find irresistible.

Tuesdays With Dorie 47: Brownie Buttons

I loved this week's recipe which was chosen by Jayma of Two Scientists Experimenting in the Kitchen. These little brownies really were as cute as a button! They were perfect little two bite morsels- a well portioned treat for those watching their waistlines.

The addition of the orange zest was just delicious. Usually I really dislike white chocolate, but I was pleasantly surprised by Green and Blacks white chocolate with Madagascan vanilla. I do think that the addition of vanilla really does the white chocolate justice. Having said that, I still can't see myself sitting down to munch on a block of white chocolate. I really cannot wait to make these again for a picnic or BBQ, they are just so adorable and really could be decorated to suit any occasion.

Tuesdays With Dorie 46: Classic Banana Bundt Cake

When I first joined Tuesdays with Dorie, I noticed there was a whole section dedicated to bundt cakes. So not long after that, I went out and purchased my first bundt cake tin, and it has been sitting in my cupboard ever since! Naturally, I was quite excited when I saw that Mary of The Food Librarian had chosen a bundt cake this week. Now I realise that there isn't really a difference between a normal cake and a bundt cake, but something about that hole in the middle makes it look oh so spectacular!

I was also really glad that it was a banana bundt cake too. For me, banana cake is something I really love, but never make. I'm hoping I don't make this too often from now on either because it has so much butter and sugar, and I didn't even bother to use low fat sour cream! The recipe did produce the most luscious banana cake though- soft, moist and extremely flavoursome. I highly recommend you check out the recipe on Mary's blog.

Tuesdays With Dorie 45: Cinnamon Ice Cream

If there is one thing our house is never out of, it's ice cream! Since there was always a strict 'no dessert' policy when I was growing up, I found it really strange to always have dessert when I moved in with S. Now, I can't imagine my life without it (yes it, not him!). In fact, I tend to get really cranky if I don't have my daily dose of sugar.

I suppose S's love of ice cream came from when he worked at an ice cream shop during high school. Somehow he managed to put on about 10kg while he worked there (a one for me, one for you mentality I'm sure). Lynne of Cafe Lynnylu chose vanilla ice cream this week, but I decided to 'play around' and try my hand at cinnamon. We have a constant supply of vanilla ice cream in our house which really doesn't need adding to. Well, the cinnamon is just delicious! It certainly packs a punch, so I would recommend reducing the amount of cinnamon if you would prefer it to be more subtle. The one mistake I made was not heating the custard to a high enough temperature. Usually I just eyeball it, but I recently got a laser thermometer and am quite addicted to taking everything and any thing's temperature. At a guess, my custard usually reaches about 82 degrees celsius- Dorie recommends at least 76, but not more than 82. I should have gone with my gut instinct because my ice cream turned out extremely icy. At least the flavour is delicious though and I can't wait to remake it properly.

Daring Bakers 8: Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies

Well it feels like forever since I completed a Daring Bakers challenge! Participating this month though just reminded me how much I love being a part of the group- always different and fun.

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

This challenge brings back a lot of childhood memories. I was never allowed junk food and I would salavate over all the delicious treats my friends would bring to school. If there was just one thing I used to wish I could eat, it was cookies! I loved iced-vovos, monte carlos, tim tams and especially tic-tocs! On my mum's days off from work, I'd beg her to have some freshly baked cookies for me when I got home. I had so much fun making these chocolate covered marshmallow cookies and they really did taste better than anything you can buy. I made mini cookies with plain marshmallow and I flavoured the others with raspberry coulis (which was really delicious). My only complaint is that the cookie itself wasn't sweet enough... next time I'd add just a touch more sugar.

Mallows (Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies)

Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, from Food Network website


Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 10 min
Serves: about 2 dozen cookies

• 3 cups (375grams/13.23oz) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (112.5grams/3.97oz) white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter
• 3 eggs, whisked together
• Homemade marshmallows, recipe follows
• Chocolate glaze, recipe follows

1. In a mixer with the paddle attachment, blend the dry ingredients.
2. On low speed, add the butter and mix until sandy.
3. Add the eggs and mix until combine.
4. Form the dough into a disk, wrap with clingfilm or parchment and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
5. When ready to bake, grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness, on a lightly floured surface. Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inches cookie cutter to cut out small rounds of dough.
8. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool to room temperature.
9. Pipe a “kiss” of marshmallow onto each cookie. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.
10. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicon mat.
11. One at a time, gently drop the marshmallow-topped cookies into the hot chocolate glaze.
12. Lift out with a fork and let excess chocolate drip back into the bowl.
13. Place on the prepared pan and let set at room temperature until the coating is firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

Note: if you don’t want to make your own marshmallows, you can cut a large marshmallow in half and place on the cookie base. Heat in a preheated 350-degree oven to slump the marshmallow slightly, it will expand and brown a little. Let cool, then proceed with the chocolate dipping.

Homemade marshmallows:
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 3/4 cup (168.76 grams/5.95oz) sugar
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 egg whites , room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan, combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar, bring to a boil until “soft-ball” stage, or 235 degrees on a candy thermometer.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let dissolve.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat, add the gelatin, and mix.
4. Whip the whites until soft peaks form and pour the syrup into the whites.
5. Add the vanilla and continue whipping until stiff.
6. Transfer to a pastry bag.

Chocolate glaze:
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 2 ounces cocoa butter or vegetable oil

1. Melt the 2 ingredients together in the top of a double boiler or a bowl set over barely simmering water.

Tuesdays With Dorie 44: Raspberry Blanc-Manger

This week's recipe was chosen by Susan of Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy (got to love that blog name). I know I have been falling behind with blogging lately but I really am trying to get back into the swing of things. This Raspberry Blanc-Manger is the perfect dessert for those who are time poor (like me). It is literally a matter of minutes before you are putting this in the fridge. It can even be made the day before, so all you have to do is literally un-mould it and serve it with a little raspberry coulis.

I decided to halve the recipe and make little individual blanc-mangers which were really cute. The hardest part of making this dessert was definitely un-moulding it! I would really recommend a silicone mould, especially if you decide to make mini ones. I ended up having to blast my metal muffin tray with my blow torch to ease them out. I didn't have time to buy fresh raspberries unfortunately which is why my berries bled a little throughout the blanc-manger. I found the addition of ground almonds a little strange in terms of texture- maybe mine weren't fine enough?

Tuesdays With Dorie 43: Tribute To Katherine Hepburn Brownies

This week's recipe was chosen by Lisa of Surviving Oz. I am on the hunt for the perfect brownie recipe, so I was pretty happy they were chosen. I've now made three different brownie recipes from Baking: From my home to yours, and these are probably my favourite so far.

Most brownies I have made in the past are quite cake like and fudgy, however these were dense, chewy and fudgy- perfect! I usually don't like nuts or fruit in my brownies, but I opted to include pecans which turned out to be a wise decision. Next time I am actually thinking of adding candied pecans.

So far these are my favourite brownie recipe, closely followed by Dorie's French Chocolate Brownies. I wasn't a huge fan of her Classic Brownies. I'm sure you will see many more brownie recipes here in the future though as I am always on the search for perfection. Next up my sleeve to try are mascarpone chocolate brownies I think!

Tuesdays With Dorie 42: Coconut-Roasted Pineapple Dacquoise

Ok, so I am a little late this week... No excuse really, other than just life getting in the way! This week's recipe was chosen by Andrea of Andrea In The Kitchen. To be honest, I really dislike coconut, white chocolate and pineapple! So when I saw this recipe was chosen, I wasn't really thrilled at all. BUT, Tuesdays with Dorie is all about trying out new things (and many I thought I wouldn't like, I loved), so I really didn't want to miss this week. Unfortunately, I didn't end up loving this at all, but like I said before, it's because I don't like the core ingredients! I know my mum would have loved it though.

Tuesdays With Dorie Rewind- French Chocolate Brownies

This week I am sitting out Tuesdays with Dorie due to seasonality. The majority of the group are from the Northern Hemisphere, meaning that our seasons are completely opposite! This week's recipe was chosen by Tommi of Brown Interior, which was Honey-Peach Ice Cream. I would have loved to make this recipe too, just because I love making ice cream (and I have an enormous amount of egg yolks in my fridge right now). I know I could have made the ice cream with tinned peaches, or chosen another fruit, but I decided to make a recipe from before my time with the group.

I have been on the hunt for a good brownie recipe for a while. I also love my brownies dense and chocolatey- no nuts or fruit for me thanks. These brownies turned out really delicious (obviously I omitted the sultanas) and I am sure I'll be baking these a lot in future. I have tried Dorie's Classic Brownie recipe before, but I prefer this one.

Tuesdays With Dorie 40: Parisian Apple Tartlet

Yes... I am returning with my head hanging in shame. I've been extremely neglectful of my poor little blog! I know it's a cliche, but life has just been really full on lately. I did actually get to make the Cinnamon Squares last week, but had no time to take photos. I quite enjoyed them, but next time I would leave out the coffee. My granules (yes, I probably should have used powder) didn't dissolve properly which wasn't that pleasant! Even though the past few weeks have been really busy, it's actually only going to get worse for me in the next few as I enter exam block. I will really try to keep up blogging though, especially since I missed Daring Bakers last month.

This week's recipe was chosen by Jessica of My Baking Heart, and was perfect for easing me back into blogging. The recipe is incredibly simple, but oh so delicious. It is perfect for those times when you feel like something sweet as a snack. The tartlet is also very quick to make, so also ideal for those times when your other half is hassling you for a dessert (very frequently in my case).

Tuesdays With Dorie 39: Tartest Lemon Tart

I'm so glad that we have a break from chocolate this week, and what better to have a break with than lemon? Not just any lemon either, it's a very tart lemon tart. You can find the recipe at Babette's blog, Babette Feasts.

This lemon tart is made from an entire lemon: rind, pith, pulp and juice. What? Yes, I too was afraid at first. I was extremely skeptical about including the pith, so naughtily, I omitted this. I simply zested my lemons, sliced the lemons into quarters, and cut away the pith and removed the seeds. So I know I didn't use the entire lemon, but honestly, I thought it was tart enough without it. Dorie recommends that you blitz the lemon into a smooth puree with a blender, but I randomly forgot I had one and attempted to do it with my food processor. It was clear that this simply wouldn't do, so I used my small blender attachment I usually use for spices. Even with this, I wasn't able to get the lemon really smooth, which ultimately affected my end results. I found the lemon to be quite stringy. It still tasted really delicious, but next time I'll know to keep on blitzing, blitzing, blitzing...